クリスタルKITSUNE: “Ever since I was little I wanted to go to Japan. To be honest, it blew my mind how amazing my first trip trip was and I was able to spend every second with my friends! The images that are engrained in my head will forever be there. Walking down the back streets of Tokyo or listening to music on our phones at the park at 12 in the morning. Ordering sushi only to find out it was a take-away order so we had to figure out where to eat this big box of sushi we now own. Walking down that one extra street just to explore. Every second was a story, but we were living that story. We were the ones making everything happen. Playing a show in Japan on the other hand is something I, never in a million years, thought I would have been able to do. After spending a week meeting and making new friends, I had the chance to perform with them. Showing up in Shibuya after a train ride with pounds DJ equipment in our hands and on our back’s, everyone was nervous. But as soon as we saw that venue sign and taking a trip under the ground, we knew this was going to be amazing! Finally being able to put faces with names we got ready to play a show of a lifetime, and it truly was. Coming up above ground and seeing the morning sunlight after playing a show underground for the past 6 or so hours was kind of breathtaking in a way. I’m so glad I had my camera with me the entire trip, even if I can still visualize every moment of the trip, I’m glad I’ll always have something to look back on in a sentimental way. I couldn’t have picked a better crew of people to explore the city with and I’d really like to give my heartfelt thank you to everyone I met along the way, every Producer, every DJ and every Fan. We know this scene is truly alive; were living in it and making it the best it can be. I’ll never give it up for anything~”
ΛDRIΛNWΛVE: “Japan is fucking awesome. I ate ramen for a week but hey, we’re here for a good time, not a long time.
“This country is extra special in my head for countless reasons, most notably that no matter where you are in Tokyo, there is a 100% chance you will accidentally end up in a porn shop at least once, much to KITE0080’s dismay. No complaints here, though (I, uh, may or may not have purchased some hentai manga & forgot the bag in a konbini).
The Japanese Future Funk scene is very alive, & we loved every moment of the PITCH SHIFTER show Kissmenerdygirl put together. It was really cool to chill with all the other artists, & the energy from the crowd was almost too much for the venue to hold. The クリスタルKITSUNE x ΛDRIΛNWΛVE collab track reveal was a lot of fun too! I gave the owner an extra ΛDRIΛNWΛVE t-shirt as thanks & he was like “Hold on,” and handed me one of HIS t-shirts! Hopefully next time I can cash in the free drink voucher I brought back to America on accident.”
Sparkly Night: “Walking down the streets of Tokyo wearing just the shorts and a pair of slides (because it was still super hot even in September) was something that will stay in my mind for a long time. Together with クリスタルKITSUNE, KITE0080 and ΛDRIΛNWΛVE we had the greatest time buying a shit ton of soda in every vending machine we could find.
Living this life with my friends from the Future Funk and Vaporwave scene really did seem unreal and dreamy at the time. Words can’t express what I felt then and what I feel now, a year later, looking at the pictures we took, but I know for sure that it was genuinely magical.
I stayed in Japan for 4 months (had my ups and downs) but I think the time that I spent with my friends was the most fun.
One time in Akihabara, we went to the porn shop and KITE0080 wouldn’t go with me to the top floor, the “forbidden” one, because he was too embarrassed.
Tons of porn sorted alphabetically by categories and older guys walking around, checking out the back of the DVDs.
There was a clerk behind the cabin which covered everything but his hands so he could stay anonymous.
Sounds like a decent job.
Love y’all!”
KITE0080: “Hanging out with the boys was way better than I expected. It was my first time traveling abroad to literally live with some people for an extended period of time. We got an AirBnb in a small residential area which we slowly adventured out into. Between Kitsune and myself, we practically lived off 711 food. I think I ate sushi and had some 100円 drink every single day. It was the life because we were eating good and on a small budget. Speaking of which, for some crazy reason we went into a small family-owned (I’m guessing) bar-restaurant and shared a plate of food, I think all 4 of us. Why were we so cheap? I guess at the time I didn’t have a job but I remember every day we’d fight over food. So when we finally decided 711 and this small grocery store was our two locations, tensions fell. I think the biggest meal e ate was this 100+ plate of sushi that confusingly we were able to get as take out. I knew a small park nearby (which was really a 20-minute walk probably) and we ate on this bench under a small amount of light. A bunch of foreigners eating sushi and being merry in a residential area, it was the dream. Sparkly Night taught us how to make a kimchi tofu dish, Andrianwave seemed to always be vaping and Kitsune was making Future Funk jams. Living together was awesome, and almost feels like a dream. I’m so grateful we had the chance before covid. Who knew.”
